Grasidia was shocked when Cloven, who had largely been avoiding her up until now, drowsily stepped past her to take a seat on the leaf she had just made for flying. Her instinctive reaction was to scowl and tip the leaf sideways to knock him onto the ground, but before she followed through she hesitated. Rather, she decided to let him stay. Instead of removing him from her Leaf Caravan she instead continued growing it, to make it large enough for the both of them to sit on it comfortably.
He probably thinks others are getting on with us, she thought as she stepped onto the leaf, behind Cloven.
But before anyone else could make Cloven's mistake the giant leaf began to float upwards into the sky.
We'll have a little chat... The two ascended until they were higher than the intact buildings before shooting off towards Crocus. The leaf was notably slower than before as Grasidia was far less rushed, and thus it flew at a more comfortable speed. Meanwhile on the ground the rest of the guild would make their way onto the airship provided by the Obsidian Kite mages. It was more than large enough for everyone and the two young men were genuinely curious about the Fenixtear mages. Who wouldn't want to know more about this random guild that just destroyed a dragon?
"Fenixtear, eh?" the young mage confirmed, bringing a hand to his chin as he looked the guild up and down.
"A strange bunch you are. But the boss said to give you a lift so we'll give you a lift." Once everyone was on board they would soon be airborne. Of course this vessel was far slower than Grasidia's spell but was proportionately more comfortable, with several amenities onboard including a bathroom and actual seating below deck.
While the victorious mages would return to their guild the word of their accomplishment had already begun spreading. Elsewhere in the country there were guilds green with envy at missing the opportunity to slay a dragon. There were others who wondered where Fenixtear even came from. And of course the news was even reaching the average citizen. Everyone was so used to and familiar with the major guilds that it came as a shock that such an unknown guild had saved the day in Era. And if they were competent enough to
slay a dragon then they must be quite the guild.
Things were already changing for Fenixtear. The dream of being recognized had finally come true, but the guild will soon realize that things aren't perfect. Several questions remain unanswered and along with all the good press comes the
bad press. By becoming known and popular they have inadvertently made several enemies that they are yet to realize...
The massive, ornate doors to the Magic Council's courtroom slowly closed behind Torys as she approached the single podium in the center of the round room. Across from her were seated up high various old men and women, the Council members themselves, with one in particular seated higher and in the direct center of the rest. The Magic Council Chairman and member of the Ten Wizard Saints,
Boram Siegfried, was presiding over this meeting. Of course the seemingly youthful Torys was quick to speak up.
"Good evening, sirs and madames," she chirped with a polite bow, though her audience seemed displeased that she didn't give the Chairman a chance to speak first.
"Torys Lusitania," Boram spoke up, his voice deep and gravely,
"The last time you were here it was under unfortunate circumstances. I never expected to see you again, at least not in this world." Torys simply smiled politely in response.
"The reason we summoned you here today is because we've reviewed our reports of your new guild, Fenixtear. It's been confirmed that it was indeed your mages that had slain the dragon that besieged our city last week. Most of our forces, including myself and Harvard, were not present and we would've sustained serious losses had your guild not arrived in time." Once again Torys gave a cheeky smile, this time adding a curtsy to further demonstrate her smugness.
"Our reports found no infractions from your guild since you had created it, thus you are eligible to become an officially recognized guild and join the Guilds of Fiore. We have decided that we would give you another chance and are offering you this opportunity to join us. Should you accept we-""I decline."Her interruption shocked and stunned the room, creating a silence so severe a dropped pin could be heard. But the Chairman was the first to regain his composure.
"Um, excuse me? Are you saying that you do not want your guild to be recognized as a legal guild?" Torys brought a finger up to her lips and drew her gaze to the ceiling, pretending to think it over for a few seconds.
"I am saying that," she confirmed.
"I politely decline your offer." One of the other council members, an old man with glasses and a bald head, slammed his fist onto the stand before him.
"How dare you, Torys Lusitania!" The elderly woman with long white hair sitting next to him spoke up next.
"Did you come here to disrespect us and expect to not be punished again?" The other Council members began ranting and speaking over each other all yelling at Torys, all the while she simply held her hands behind her back and kept up her smug grin. Only Boram and one other council member, a tan skinned man with a short grey beard and sunglasses, remained silent. The Chairman was seething as he stared her down from his stand.
"Well I'm terribly sorry, I meant no disrespect," Torys finally spoke up once the yelling died down some.
"I only came out here because you asked. But, you see, I just don't think that I want Fenixtear to be bogged down by your taxes and rules. If I were a betting woman I would guess that you're only extending this offer to me because you've seen how much business we've been getting over this past week and how much the guild has expanded. But of course, you would never do that..." At this point Boram stood up from his chair, grabbing his stand to lean over it.
"We will not make this offer again, Torys. Do not make a decision that you will regret today. If you do not accept our offer, and we find out that your guild has done anything illegal, we will jail you and your offending members and disband your guild.""Oh please, Boram. You know that we've already grown far too famous and popular for you to label us a dark guild just like that." The Chairman gripped his stand tighter, cracking the wood visibly from where Torys was standing.
"Your delusions won't hold you out of reach of justice. We will treat your guild no differently from any other unrecognized guild no matter how big you get. One wrong move and you'll spend what few days you have left in the dungeon." Once again, Torys pretended to think things over but this time she ended the facade with a shrug.
"Don't worry, sir, we will continue to follow the law to the letter! And if any more dragons attack your club then you know who to call." With this she twirled around and began walking back towards the giant doors. They magically began to open as she approached but the council behind her began shouting at her back the moment she started leaving.
"You have no graces left, Torys. You better watch yourself." The young-looking Torys looked over her shoulder back at the Chairman, giving him a smug grin before sticking her tongue out at him and pulling down her right eyelid with her middle finger. The attempt at disrespect was successful and she could see a vein throbbing in Boram's forehead as the two giant doors closed behind her once she left the courtroom.
Now she found herself standing in a long, marble hallway with ornate pillars to her right and various memorial paintings along the walls to her left. But directly to her side, leaning against the wall next to the doors that had just closed, was a
young man. His hair was white, his skin pale, and he wore a decorated leather jacket and black jeans. His jewelry and the decorations of his clothes matched the tall golden staff he wielded.
"Hello, Pallas," Torys greeted the young man without even looking. His red eyes followed the back of her head as she continued walking though he spoke no greetings in return. She continued down the hallway silently, her footsteps echoing as she went. The emotionless expression on Pallas' face didn't change, though after a moment he stood up straight away from the wall. He tapped his staff against the ground, creating a brief flash of multi-colored light. After this rainbow of light faded he was gone, leaving Torys alone as she smirked to herself on her way out.
What once was a desolate guild hall moonlighting as a tavern to make ends meet has become active and full of life. Empty tables were filled, the job board was overflowing with quests. The last three weeks had seen explosive growth for Fenixtear as Torys accepted dozens of new mages. And all these people, including her original members, didn't have to sit around doing nothing thanks to the influx of quests being posted. So many mages wanted to join Fenixtear that Torys ran out of board above the guild hall, so many of the new mages had to get their own place to live. Everyone has been so busy that Torys had to hire a dedicated assistant to tend the bar and help manage the job board!
One person who hasn't been a fan of the changes, and possibly the only one who hasn't been a fan, is Grasidia. The plant mage thought she already had too many interactions in a day with the guild before they got big, but now there were even more humans than before by a lot. Now she gets pestered at her garden more often than before, famous for being a member of Fenixtear as one of its most powerful mages. Never before had she been asked so many questions, and so often it was the same questions just by different humans. She had grown used to her "family" over the course of over a year but all these new people have begun immediately acting friendly and getting way too close.
So of course she has been spending less time at the guild hall during the day. If she lingers at her garden too long she will be bothered there too, so she has been keeping up a habit of either getting a quest that interested her or hiding away in her room above the guild hall. It only ever died down at night and she found pleasant company in at least
one of the new faces, so that would always be the best time to find her. But right now it was morning and she had just finished watering her garden. The moment she opened the door there was a small group of people waiting, compared to the occasional one that she used to have. By now she knew the routine, that most weren't here for the garden but instead to see her. To elicit a response of any kind.
But she couldn't talk to this many people at once!
"Um, excuse me," she spoke, making her way through the crowd in front of her. The greetings began and were soon followed by the questions. "How are you this morning?" "Are you taking on a quest today?" "We should train together sometime, yeah?" "Are you seeing anybody?" And, just like usual, it didn't take long to work her nerves.
"Be silent!" Also per the usual, her snapping once did the trick as the crowd of young mages and admirers got the hint and gave her space. With an exasperated sigh she began walking to the guild. After a moment, putting distance between her and her garden, the humans around her were no longer interested in her and were simply citizens going about their business.
As she turned into the shaded alley that Fenixtear calls home she reminisced how much she enjoyed it being empty. There was a certain peace that the alleyway had when she was the only one to ever walk through it. But those days were gone as she could see several teenagers hanging around across from the guild hall's door and a man had opened some kind of souvenir shop not too far away from them. While this meant the alley was far from crowded it still made Grasidia long for the seclusion that it used to provide. As she approached the door one of the teenagers nearby called out to her.
"Hey, Gras! Good morning!" This made her pause for a moment, glancing over her shoulder at the kid. He gave an innocent, earnest smile upon making eye contact. And then Grasidia looked back towards the door.
"Hey." This voice she didn't recognize, so Grasidia turned around quickly. A
man she had never seen before was suddenly there.
Where did he... Before she could process any further he procured a bouquet of flowers from behind his back, offering it forward to Grasidia. This shocked her even further.
"I heard you like flowers," the man continued, nudging the bouquet slightly closer to her. It was clear he wanted her to take it but she hesitated. This wouldn't be the first man to try and ask her out on a date. She had no romantic interest in humans and would always decline, this would be no exception. As she opened her mouth to speak she was swiftly interrupted.
"Think of these as an offering," he began, immediately catching her glare.
"If you give me just a moment of your time, in return I'll give you these nice Hakobe Snapdragons."He even knows their name? This human is different. He's trying to entice me. He wants something, she thought, her gaze shifting down to the bouquet he held out.
But then again... these would go well in my garden... Without a word she slowly reached out and took the flowers from his hand, accepting his offering.
"My name is Duncan Nythe, by the way. And you're Grasidia..." "Just Grasidia." "Yes, of course. Would you take a brief walk with me, Grasidia?" He turned away, motioning with his hand to follow. She hesitated, looking back towards the front door of the guild hall before returning her gaze to his back and following him away from the alley.
